CA2361985C - Process for purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane - Google Patents

Process for purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CA2361985C
CA2361985C CA002361985A CA2361985A CA2361985C CA 2361985 C CA2361985 C CA 2361985C CA 002361985 A CA002361985 A CA 002361985A CA 2361985 A CA2361985 A CA 2361985A CA 2361985 C CA2361985 C CA 2361985C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
liquid phase
mixture
trifluoro
chloroethane
temperature
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA002361985A
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2361985A1 (en
Inventor
Takehide Tsuda
Nobuyoshi Iwashita
Satoshi Komatsu
Satoshi Koyama
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Daikin Industries Ltd
Original Assignee
Daikin Industries Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Daikin Industries Ltd filed Critical Daikin Industries Ltd
Priority claimed from CA002066017A external-priority patent/CA2066017C/en
Publication of CA2361985A1 publication Critical patent/CA2361985A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2361985C publication Critical patent/CA2361985C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Landscapes

  • Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a process for the purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane which comprises the steps of cooling a mixture comprising hydrogen fluoride and 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane to a temperature below 7°C, liquid-separating the mixture into an upper liquid phase rich in hydrogen fluoride and a lower liquid phase rich in 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane, and recovering 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane containing a lesser amount of hydrogen fluoride from the lower liquid phase. The 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane obtained can be used as a cooling medium and as a raw material in the preparation of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane and trifluoroethanol.

Description

Process for Purificationof 1,1,1-Trifluoro-2-Chloroethane The present application has been divided out of Canadian Application Serial No. 2,066,017, filed April 14, 1992.
The present invention relates to a process for the purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane.
The invention of the parent application relates to an azeotropic mixture of hydrogen fluoride (hereinafter referred to as "HF") and 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane (hereinafter referred to as "R-133a") and a process for the purification of R-133a by removing HF from a mixture comprising HF and R-133a.
R-133a draws attention since it is one representative cooling medium which can replace dichlorodifluoromethane. Also R-133a is a suitable raw material of HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) and it is a suitable raw material of trifluoroethanol.
R-133a is generally produced by reacting a carbon chloride such as trichloroethylene with HF. HF is removed from a reaction mixture comprising HF and R-133a as main components by washing the mixture with an aqueous solution.
This method is not the most suitable as a large amount of alkali is required to neutralize the washing solution.
We found that a mixture comprising HF and R-133a as main components is separated into two liquid phases, that is, an upper liquid phase rich in HF and a lower liquid phase rich in R-133a (a ratio HF/R-133a of the lower liquid phase is smaller than that of the original mixture before the liquid separation) when it is cooled to a temperature below 7°C, and that HF and R-133a form an azeotropic mixture having a minimum boiling point. The azeotropic mixture can be used as a reflux during a distillation process in which HF and/or R-133a are separated from a mixture comprising both, so that efficient separation can be carried out.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a process for the purification of one component of HF and R-133a by cooling a mixture comprising HF and R-133a as main components to a temperature below 7°C to separate out an upper liquid phase rich in HF and a lower liquid phase rich in R-133a, and treating either liquid phase with a suitable operation, for example distillation, adsorption, absorption and combinations thereof, to remove preferentially the other component so that the one component is concentrated relative to the other component and preferably substantially separated from the other component. Purification by concentrating one component herein means that the concentration of one component of a mixture comprising two components is increased relative to the concentration of the other component of the mixture.
In one aspect, the parent invention provides an azeotropic mixture having a minimum boiling point which consists essentially of HF and R-133a. The boiling point of the azeotropic mixture is about -2°C at atmospheric pressure.
In another aspect, the parent invention provides a process for the purification of HF or R-133a by distilling a mixture comprising HF and R-133a as main components, preferably the upper liquid phase rich in HF or the lower liquid phase rich in R-133a which may be obtained by the process according to the method of the present invention described just above so that an azeotropic mixture comprising HF and R-133a is removed and HF or R-133a substantially free from R-133a or HF is obtained.
Figure 1 shows a process flow sheet of one preferred embodiment in which the present purification process is carried out.
As described above, a two component system comprising HF
and R-133a has an azeotropic mixture having a minimum boiling point, which azeotropic mixture was discovered by us for the first time. When the mixture comprising HF and R-133a as the main components is distilled at atmospheric pressure, concentration of HF from a molar ratio HF/R-133a beyond about 65/35 is possible. In other words, at such a molar ratio, the composition of a liquid phase is the same as that of the vapor phase in equilibrium with the liquid phase. The molar ratio HF/R-133a of the azeotropic mixture of the present invention changes with system pressure. For example, when the system pressures are 1.5 Kg/cm2G, 4.0 Kg/cm2G and 15 Kg/cm2G, the molar ratios (HF/R-133a) are about 60/40, about 55/45 and about 45/55, respectively.
In addition, after cooling the mixture comprising HF and R-133a and separation into the two phases, a concentration of R-133a of the lower liquid phase is increased compared with that before cooling. It has been found that when increased, a R-133a concentration of the lower liquid phase deviates into a R-133a concentration greater than that of the azeotropic mixture.
Cooling the mixture comprising HF and R-133a produces the lower liquid phase rich in R-133a and the upper liquid phase rich in HF. Merely cooling the mixture provides the upper liquid phase and the lower liquid phase each of which is rich in either component compared with the original mixture before the cooling. The concentration of R-133a in the lower liquid phase may be further increased when the obtained lower liquid phase is subjected to any suitable treatment, e.g. distil-lation, extraction, absorption, adsorption or neutralization with an alkali in which HF is preferentially removed so that R-133a is concentrated and purified.
Since the upper liquid phase is rich in HF, it is subjected to suitable treatment in which R-133a is preferentially removed as in the case of the treatment of the lower liquid phase so that HF is concentrated and purified.
Thus, mere cooling facilitates the first rough separation step.
The temperature at which the mixture is cooled (cooling temperature) is usually below 7°C. The mixture may not be liquid-separated at a temperature above 7°C at any ratio of HF/R-133a. The preferred cooling temperature is below 5°C.
At a temperature above 5°C, a composition of the upper liquid phase is not so different from that of the lower liquid phase, so that a density of the upper liquid phase is also not so different from that of the lower liquid phase, which may make the liquid separation insufficient. There is no specific lower limitation of the cooling temperature, provided that the temperature is higher than the solidification point of R-133a (about -100°C). Generally, the cooling temperature is preferably above about -50°C. Operation at a temperature below -50°C is uneconomical since much energy is required for the cooling. The cooling temperature is more preferably in the range of -20°C to 0°C.
HF may be separated from the mixture comprising R-133a and HF by directly distilling the mixture using any type of distillation apparatus. On such distillation, the azeotropic mixture of HF and R-133a is used as a reflux returned to the distillation apparatus during the distillation operation so that a distillate of the azeotropic mixture is efficiently obtained from the top of the distillation apparatus, and R-133a substantially free from HF is obtained from the bottom of the apparatus when the concentration of R-133a of the mixture fed into the apparatus deviates into the R-133a concentration greater than that of the azeotropic mixture.
The azeotropic distillation apparatus may be any type of distillation apparatus which has conventional means necessary for a usual distillation operation. For example, a distillation column having trays or a packed column may be preferably used. The azeotropic distillation may be carried out in a continuous operation or in a batch operation.
In a preferred embodiment, the mixture comprising HF and R-133a is cooled so that the mixture is divided into the upper liquid phase rich in HF and the lower liquid phase rich in R-133a, and then each liquid phase is subjected to the azeotropic distillation separately. The upper liquid phase is divided into a distillate of the azeotropic mixture of R-133a and HF distilled from the top of the distillation apparatus and the rest of the HF substantially free from R-133a is withdrawn as a bottom product from the apparatus, provided that the HF concentration of the upper liquid phase deviates into a HF concentration which is greater than that of the HF
concentration of the azeotropic mixture. Since the R-133a concentration of the lower liquid phase deviates into the R-133a concentration which is larger than that of the azeotropic mixture, the lower liquid phase is divided into a distillate of the azeotropic mixture of R-133a and HF distilled from the top of the other distillation apparatus and the rest of R-133a substantially free from HF withdrawn as a bottom product from the apparatus. The present invention is useful for the 5 removal of HF from a mixture produced in a reaction of trichloroethylene with HF in a liquid phase or in a vapor phase in the presence of a catalyst. One preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained below.
Figure 1 shows a flow sheet of one example of a preferred purification plant which may be used in the present invention.
Usually the mixture obtained from the reaction is withdrawn in a gaseous phase form. The mixture comprises R-133a, HF and hydrogen chloride in addition to small amounts of organic substances. Hydrogen chloride is removed from the mixture by distillation. Then, the mixture is cooled to a temperature below 7°C, preferably below 5°C, more preferably below 0°C
through a cooler and passed to a liquid phase separation device 1, e.g. a decanter to form the two liquid phases.
There is R-133a substantially free from HF at the bottom of the distillation apparatus 3, which may be withdrawn as a bottom product.
On one hand, the lower liquid phase rich in R-133a from the separation device 1 is supplied to a distillation apparatus 3 and an azeotropic mixture 5 is distilled from the top of the apparatus 3. During such distillation, a portion of the distilled azeotropic mixture is returned, as a reflux, to the top of the apparatus 3. The rest of the distillate is passed to the liquid separation device 1 after cooling to a temperature below 7°C at a cooler 11 and then the above procedures were repeated. There remains R-133a substantially free from HF at the bottom of the distillation apparatus 3, which is withdrawn as a bottom product 9.
On the other hand, the upper liquid phase rich in HF in the liquid separation device 1 may be returned to any reaction system, if possible. Alternatively, it may be distilled in the other distillation apparatus. In Figure 1, the upper liquid phase is supplied to another distillation apparatus 23 where it is divided into an azeotropic distillate 2 of HF and R-133a and a bottom product 29 of HF substantially free from R-133a. A portion of the distillate is returned, as a reflux 27, to the top of the distillation apparatus 23 as in the case of distillation apparatus 3. The rest of the distillate is cooled to a temperature below 7°C at a cooler 31 and then returned to the liquid separation device 1. The bottom product 29 substantially free from R-133a may be reused.
As described above, all HF is utilized while R-133a is purified. These procedures may be carried out in a continuous or a batch mode.
The invention will be further explained with reference to some Examples below. The invention should not be construed to be limited to the Examples.
Example 1 HF (40 g, 2.0 mol) and r-133a (592.5 g, 5.0 mol) were charged into an evacuated packed column (diameter: 25 mm, packing: McMahon packing, effective packing height: 1500 mm) made of stainless steel. Distillation was started from a total reflux condition and the temperature of the still (bottom) was raised gradually. When the pressure at the top of the column came to 1.5 Kg/cm2G and the temperature at the top came to 19°C, a first sample was obtained from a reflux line. The first sample was analyzed for the molar ratio of HF/R-133a and the ratio was found to be 58/42.
The temperature of the still was raised again at the total reflux condition, and a second sample was obtained from the reflux line when the top pressure and the temperature cam to 4.0 KG/cm2G and 40°C, respectively. The molar ratio of HF/R-133a of the second sample was 55/45.
From these results, HF having its normal boiling point of 19°C higher than that of R-133a of 7°C is concentrated toward the top of the distillation apparatus, which means that R-133a and HF form the azeotrope mixture.
Example 2 A mixture (60 g) having the same composition as that of the mixture of the first sample of Example 1 was charged in an evacuated vapor-liquid equilibrium measuring apparatus made of stainless steel (effective volume of which was 75 ml) and heated the whole apparatus so that a system pressure came to 1.5 KG/cm2G. After the system reached an equilibrium state, samples were obtained from the liquid phase and the vapor phase. (The sample from the vapor phase was obtained in the form of liquid after condensation of the vapor phase.) As to the second sample in Example 1, the same procedures were repeated as in the case of the first sample except that the system pressure has changed.
HF concentrations of the samples of each phase are shown in Table 1. Thus, the concentration of R-133a is the balance to make up 100 mol%.
Table 1 HF concentration Pressure (mol%) Temperature Sample Liquid Vapor Kg/cm2G C
Phase Phase 1 58 59 1.5 20 2 55 55 4.0 41 Clearly seen from the above date, the composition of the liquid phase is substantially equal to that of the vapor phase (within experimental error), and HF and R-133a form an azeotropic mixture.
Example 3 HF and R-133a were charged into an evacuated vessel made of a fluorine plastic at a molar ratio HF/R-133a of 60/40 and then mixed together. The mixture was settled at 0°C to be phase-separated. The molar ratio HF/R-133a of the separated lower liquid phase was measured and found to be 30/70. The molar ratio HF/R-133a of the upper liquid phase was also measured and found to be 84/16.
Examples 4-6 Example 3 was repeated except that the phase separation temperature was changed. The separation temperatures and the molar ratio HF/R-133a of the lower phases are shown in Table 2 together with the results of Example 3.
Table 2 Example Sep. Temp. HF/R-133a Ratio (lower phase) Note: Before the phase separation, the molar ratio HF/R-133a was 60/40.
It is understood that the molar ratio HF/R-133a of the lower liquid phase is remarkably reduced after the phase separation.
Example 7 HF (150 g, 7.5 mol) and R-133a (592.5 g, 5.0 mol) were charged into an evacuated vessel made of a fluorine plastic (effective volume 1000 ml) and cooled to -20°C. After cooling, the mixture of HF and R-133a was phase-separated into a lower liquid phase and an upper liquid phase. The lower phase recovered contained 1 g of HF (0.05 mol) and 435.5 g of R-133a (3.68 mol). Thus, the molar ratio HF/R-133a was 1.34/98.66, and the concentration of R-133a greatly deviated into the R-133a concentration which is greater than that of the azeotropic mixture.
The recovered lower liquid phase (400 g) was charged in the same distillation column as used in Example 1 and the temperature of the column still was gradually raised to a total reflux condition. When the top pressure of the column reached 1.5 Kg/cmzG and the top temperature of the column reached 20°C, a first distilled sample was obtained (2 g) from the top of the column (reflux line), which was analyzed on its HF/R-133a ratio. The molar ratio was found to be 60.8/39.2.
The still temperature was further raised until the top pressure and the top temperature reached 4.0 Kg/cm2G and 41°C, respectively. Then, another distillate sample was obtained (2 g). The molar ratio HF/R-133a of the second sample was found to be 56.6/43.4.
' The system pressure was adjusted to 1.5 Kg/cmzG, again and the distillation column was stabilized at a total reflux condition. After the stabilization, when distillate was withdrawn from the top of the column little by little, the top temperature started to rise. When the top temperature became equal to the still temperature, heating was stopped. The total amount of the distillate withdrawn from the top was 20 g (including amounts of the samples on the way) and about 380 g of R-133a containing about 10 ppm of HF was obtained as the bottom product from the still.
Example 8 HF (150 g, 7.5 mol) and R-133a (592.5 g, 5.0 mol) were charged into an evacuated vessel made of a fluorine plastic (effective volume 1000 ml) and cooled to -20°C. After cooling, the mixture of HF and R-133a was liquid-separated into a lower liquid phase and an upper liquid phase, and the upper phase recovered contained 149 g of HF (7.45 mol) and 157 g of R-133a (1.32 mol). Thus, the molar ratio HF/R-133a was 84.95/15.05, and the concentration of HF greatly deviated into the HF concentration which is larger than that of the azeotropic mixture.
The recovered upper liquid phase (300 g) was charged in the same distillation column made of stainless steel as used in.Example 1 and the temperature of the column still was gradually raised to the total reflux condition. When the top pressure of the column reached 1.5 Kg/cm2G and the top temperature of the column reached 20°C, a first distillate sample was obtained (2 g) from the reflux line, which was analyzed for its HF/R-133a ratio. The molar ratio was found to be 59.5/40.5.
The still temperature was further raised until the top pressure and the top temperature reached 4.0 Kg/cmzG and 40°C, respectively. Then, another distillate sample was obtained (2 g). The molar ratio HF/R-133a was found to be 57.5/42.5.
The system pressure was adjusted to 1.5 Kg/cmzG, again and the distillation column was stabilized at the total reflux condition. After the stabilization, when distillate was withdrawn from the top of the column little by little, the top temperature started to rise. When the top temperature became equal to the still temperature, heating was stopped. The total amount of the distillate withdrawn from the top was 5 about 240 g (including amounts of the samples on the way) and about 60 g of HF containing a trace amount of R-133a was obtained as the bottom product from the still.

Claims (2)

Claims
1. A process for the purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane which comprises the steps of cooling a mixture comprising hydrogen fluoride and 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane to a temperature below 7°C, liquid-separating the mixture into an upper liquid phase rich in hydrogen fluoride and a lower liquid phase rich in 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane, and recovering 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane containing a lesser amount of hydrogen fluoride from the lower liquid phase.
2. A process according to claim 1 in which the mixture is cooled to a temperature below 5°C.
CA002361985A 1991-04-15 1992-04-14 Process for purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane Expired - Fee Related CA2361985C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP8226191 1991-04-15
JP82261/1991 1991-04-15
CA002066017A CA2066017C (en) 1991-04-15 1992-04-14 Azeotropic mixture of hydrogen fluoride and 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane and process for purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002066017A Division CA2066017C (en) 1991-04-15 1992-04-14 Azeotropic mixture of hydrogen fluoride and 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane and process for purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2361985A1 CA2361985A1 (en) 1992-10-16
CA2361985C true CA2361985C (en) 2005-02-15

Family

ID=25675085

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002361985A Expired - Fee Related CA2361985C (en) 1991-04-15 1992-04-14 Process for purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2361985C (en)

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2361985A1 (en) 1992-10-16

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
EP0606482B1 (en) Method of removing hydrogen fluoride
US7183448B2 (en) Azeotropic composition, comprising 1, 1, 1, 3,3-pentafluoropropane and 1, 1, 1-trifluoro-3-chloro-2-propene, method of separation and purification of the same, and process for producing 1, 1, 1,3,3-pentafloropropane and 1, 1, 1-trifluoro-3-chloro-2-propene
KR100235756B1 (en) Purification of a component of a binary azeotrope
US4975156A (en) Process for the separation of hydrogen fluoride, 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane and 1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane from liquid mixtures thereof
CA2066017C (en) Azeotropic mixture of hydrogen fluoride and 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane and process for purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane
EP0601373B1 (en) Process for separating hydrogen fluoride from its mixtures with chlorofluorohydrocarbons 123 and/or 124
JP3175286B2 (en) An azeotropic mixture of hydrogen fluoride and 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane and a method for purifying 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane
EP0736508B1 (en) Process for purifying 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoro-2,3-dichloropropane
JP3163831B2 (en) An azeotropic mixture of 1,1-difluoroethane and hydrogen fluoride and a method for recovering 1,1-difluoroethane or hydrogen fluoride
JP3182869B2 (en) Azeotropic mixture of pentafluoroethane and pentafluorochloroethane and method for separating pentafluorochloroethane
CA2361985C (en) Process for purification of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane
US5401430A (en) Azeotropic mixture of hydrogen fluoride and 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane
EP1026139B1 (en) Process for preparing pentafluoroethane
KR100598890B1 (en) Purification of hydrofluorocarbons
JPH0532568A (en) Method for removing hydrogen fluoride from mixture of hydrogen fluoride and dichlorofluoromethane
US6676809B1 (en) Process for removal of hydrogen fluoride
US6242410B1 (en) Azeotropic composition of hexafluoropropylene dimer and acetonitrile and separation process using the same
JPH06293674A (en) Azeotropic mixture of pentafluoroethane with hydrogen fluoride and recovery of pentafluoroethane or hydrogen fluoride
JP3387484B2 (en) How to remove hydrogen fluoride
EP1336609A2 (en) Recovery of 3,4-epoxy-1-butene by extractive distillation
JPH11158091A (en) Azeotropic composition of hexafluoopropylene dimer and acetonitrile and separation using the same
JPH03176434A (en) Removing of hydrogen fluoride

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
EEER Examination request
MKLA Lapsed